Escaping the Abyss

This story is dedicated to TTAvatarfan who wrote Afterblood which inspired this fic.

Disclaimer-don't own these characters.

Author's notes-This story takes place after Ed gets injured by Kimbley up in the North. You know that part of the show where we were all going what in the world happened to him.

There was nothing but darkness now. As though he had fallen into a thick black pit that was keeping him from thinking straight. It pulled him farther down, deeper into the cold. Part of him felt it was safe here, he couldn't feel the pain as the coldness made him numb. However his more stubborn side wanted to keep going. Telling him that this was just a slight set back. He had to find Kimbley, he now knew first hand what he was capable of. Not stopping him at this point would put Winry and Al in danger.

There was a frantic need to do something but instead of chasing the crazed State Alchemist down...there was just darkness.

Perhaps it was the lack of blood or the entire situation in general. Whatever the cause, he was completely unable to object as the one Chimera had hoisted him up onto his back. They were now moving, where to he had no idea. If they wanted to cause him harm though, they would have just left him behind.

Something cold touched his nose followed by his ear. It caused him to shiver slightly which was not the best idea as a shock of pain ran up his side. It caused his breath to hitch and he let out several small gasps as a result.

"We'd better move quickly, it's starting to snow." He heard the Gorilla say as he felt his hood get pulled over his head from behind. Now that he thought about it, he didn't even know their real names. Oh well, Gorilla would have to work for now.

"Yeah, and his breathing doesn't sound right. You think that beam nicked a lung or something?"

"It's possible." Ed struggled to listen to their conversation but started to feel dizzy and turned his head. He let out a weak cough from the mane of hair suffocating him. Why couldn't the guy turned back to normal first? Like two Chimeras walking around with a half dead kid is going to look good.

It was the last pointless thought he had before completely surrendering to unconsciousness.

oOoOo

Something didn't feel right. His heartbeat was pounding against his forehead while he found himself gasping for air. There were voices...somewhere but he couldn't understand them. If it didn't feel so real, he'd swear he was dreaming.

He was being moved, not of his own will but by several people. Too many to count. His curiosity got the better of him finally and he forced his eyelids open to see a bright round light hanging low over him. The surface he was on seemed harder then any mattress. Whoever was in the room was preoccupied as he rolled onto his left side.

Excruciating pain jabbed him in the side, causing him to grit his teeth and slam his eyes shut again. It made his heart race as the feeling ripped into his back and across his chest. His automail hand gripped the table which was also made of metal, making a loud clanging sound that echoed in the room. The hushed voices rose in concern and he felt them all leaning over him. It made him feel as though the room was closing in and his stomach wrenched. Coughing between gasped breaths, more blood escaped his mouth.

'Why am I coughing up blood?' He leaned over the table, staring down as more dripped from his mouth. 'The alchemy didn't work...this is bad.' His whole body began to tremble from worry and exhaustion. Before he could go into shock, he felt several pairs of hands trying to remove his jacket. The movement was agony and he managed a startled yell that eventually turned into a failed scream. It died down quickly as his lungs could only manage so much.

Once his jacket was removed, he felt them cutting his shirt off of him. It was sticking to his injury and he leaned his head back, trying to voice his distress but his breathing was too shallow now. Tears stung the corners of his eyes as he felt gloved hands touching the sensitive skin he'd just so recently sealed his wound with.

"S..stop..." He tried to struggle only to feel strong hands grab his shoulders while another pair held his legs. He fought it for a second, then realize he had no fight left. A whimper was the only response he could manage.

"This should help calm him down." He didn't know who was talking as he tried to focus on breathing. It felt like his chest was being crushed. Something wet touched the inside of his arm and what was coming next brought another level of fear. He jolted on the table, unable to process everything that was being done to him. What were they giving him and where was he, anyway?

The same hands holding his shoulders, moved to holding his real arm in place. He shook his head and bit his bottom lip, wishing more then anything that he wasn't here now. It was so much easier before taking responsibility for all this but now, he couldn't stop panicking. Unable to breath normal wasn't helping either.

There was an anticipated prick and then a burning tingle that made him feel groggy. As his breathing became even more shallow, the lack of air along with the drugs caused him to pass out silently.

oOoOo

There was an unnerving sound of a drill somewhere. It made him feel tense as it was to close for comfort. Something was forcing his automail arm to move against his will before he heard the drill again. What were they doing to him? As curiosity tried to convince him to open his eyes again, the drowsiness convinced him to keep them closed. His head was resting on a soft pillow and he felt the same cold metal underneath with a thin sheet covering him. The drill stopped and there was a pull on his right arm.

"We've got enough sharp blades around here, don't need this one too. Good thing no one got hurt earlier." The voice sounded ancient to him as he felt his automail become even lighter with a final tug. Now that the dismantling of his arm was over with, he tried to focus on other things.

For starters, he wanted to know why it felt like he was drowning. Each time he attempted to take in a deep breath, his lungs denied his efforts and kept a normal set pace for his breathing. He wondered if it had to do with the thick feeling in his throat. It was making it impossible to swallow and now he noticed a foreign object pressing down on his tongue.

Maybe something to help him breath? It was the only thing that made sense. He tried not to panic from the idea of something being stuck down his windpipe but it was really uncomfortable. Trying to keep the gagging feeling away wasn't easy either.

"Did you finish getting that blade off yet?" This voice definitely belonged to an older man.

"Yeah, right here."

"Alright, hand me that scalpel." There was some shuffling and the warmth of the light came back on overhead. It caused him to shut his eyes tighter, encouraging him to keep them closed even more. His entire midsection felt cold and numb.

'I don't want to be awake for this.' The thought made him nervous. When it came to automail surgery he at least knew what to expect but that was not the case now. He tried desperately to settle down but the panic from before had gotten his adrenaline going. There was pressure on his left side that cause his stomach muscles to spasm. The pressure continued until everything relaxed again involuntarily. The new unpleasant sensation spread through his whole body, all the way down his leg to where his automail older man let out a sigh.

"Man what a mess, I need suction over here." Edward turned his head, forgetting about the tube in his throat and the movement agitated it. The oxygen mask on his face was readjusted and he inhaled something that made his head feel heavier and dazed. He tried to tell himself to let whatever they gave him take him to blissful sleep but at the same time he was concerned with what was going on. Something moved around in his side which changed his mind and made his stomach turn. He could feel the pressure of the doctor's fingers in the wound and going even deeper. Not meaning to, he started to shift on the table some.

"Stay still, now." It was definitely an older woman's voice, the same one who had taken apart some of his arm. He felt her hand on his chest as though she was going to hold him down if he decided to move more. Silently he agreed, trying to reason with himself that they were only doing their job. He had known he was going to need medical help anyway. There was another muscle spasm that sent a sudden wave of pain shoot up his spine. His right leg twitched causing the old lady to make an annoyed sound. "He's not going to cooperate." For once in his life he wasn't trying to be difficult, he knew they were helping him. It was just frustrating. The man standing on the other side of the table, let out a light chuckle at the comment.

"Come now, it's not his fault. I'm sure most of the shock is wearing off by now. Go ahead and get another bag for his IV. This ones getting low. I also think he's starting to get some sensation around the wound so get him another dose of morphine." Even if it took him a second to understand, he reminded himself that this wasn't going to last forever and he had to bear it. For Al's sake, he'd get through this. The thought of Alphonse made him realized he felt vulnerable without his little brother being there. Maybe he'd feel more at ease around these people if it had been Al that had brought him here. There was a tingling in his real arm, and whatever drug was causing it made his thoughts fade into nothingness once more.

oOoOo

He had no idea how long he had been out when he finally started to come around again. With less light in the room now, he risked opening his tired eyes. The ceiling above didn't look like that of a hospital. It was dingy and looked as though there had been a leak at some point. As he took in more of the room, the same could be said for the rest of the place. It had a depressing feeling to it. The light next to the bed was turned away from him, to a person sitting near by. Turning to see who it was, he pause half way, feeling the same annoyance in his throat.

He couldn't even voice his complaint. The occupant in the chair, placed down their book and glanced over as he furrowed his brow and rested his head back down. An unfamiliar face came into view as the light was turned in his direction.

"You're awake, I see." The doctor observed with a half grin on his face. As though it came out of nowhere, the man standing over him brought out a small flashlight and shined it in his eyes. He snapped them shut again and shook his head back and forth. "Come on now, there's no need for that. It's okay."

Edward felt his one eye forced open, followed by the other one. The doctor straightened up some, shutting the light off. He let out a sigh, relieved that the patient's eyes were still pretty dilated which meant the drugs hadn't worn off yet. "So at least you're not hurting."

The statement was true as Ed still couldn't feel from the middle of his rib cage all the way to his knee. He honestly didn't care about that right now, he wanted this stupid thing out of his throat. Giving the doctor a worn out look of desperation, he motioned to his face.

The bald man with glasses balancing on his nose, let out a laugh in amusement and brought the light closer. "Yes, I'm sorry bout that. I can take that out for yah. You were having such a rough time breathing when they brought you in here, that was the first thing we had to take care of."

He tilted Edward's chin back and removed the breathing mask. If the darn thing was so annoying in his throat, it was so much more uncomfortable as the doctor carefully removed it. There was a burning in his lungs that forced it's way up his windpipe. As the end of the tube hit his gag reflex, he desperately tried to ignore the bile churning in his stomach.

Finally he was free of the wretched thing and inhaled deeply on his own. Resisting the urge to cough, he noticed the doctor placing the tube aside and pouring him a small cup of water. He helped him sit up as he handed him the water.

"Here yah go, just take it easy. You've been out for several days now. Probably needed the sleep though considering how much blood you lost." Ed gladly took the cup, drinking it's contents slowly as relief washed over him.

The old doctor moved to check his side, seeing how he was mending. Ed watched as the older man lightly ran his skilled hands over his injured side. The white gauze wrapped around Edward's torso was tightly bound and didn't look like it needed to be changed right now. "You were very lucky, Mr. State Alchemist. If that had been any farther in, it could have hit your spine."

Ed's eyes went wide with shock. It brought a stiffness to his body that the doctor noticed and he shook his hand back and forth. "But it didn't and you'll be fine. Probably have a bad scar. Took sixty stitches and I was able to repair all the internal damage. Surgery took about two hours or so. Using alchemy was quick thinking, but it wasn't a permanent fix. Definitely bought you some much needed time."

Bringing his head down, Edward's blond hair fell over his shoulders. He quietly nodded back, realizing how heavy this new information made him feel suddenly.
"I can pay you, it's not a problem." His voice still came out rough and scratchy. The doctor let out another sigh.

"I don't want you to worry about that right now. I figured payment was not going to be a problem considering your title. Which brings up another interesting question. Your companions made it clear not to let the military know you're here."

The patient nodded back, not really wanting to get into the details but knew the doctor wanted to know what was going on. Before he could say anything the older man pulled his glasses off his nose and cleaned them on his white jacket. "Well I'm sure you all have your reasons. Can't trust every thing the military does."

The curtain separating this room from the front room, flew open and a tiny old women entered, squinting at both of them.
"Would you quit talking the kid's ear off and let him rest." The older man shrugged and rose to his feet.

"Ahh, she's right." He leaned over to help Ed lay back down and pulled the blankets up over his shoulders. "Gotta make sure to keep you warm. Just try to get some sleep." Ed turned on his uninjured side, trying to settle against the thin mattress. There was a dull twinge of pain as his other side ached from the movement. Before he knew it, his thoughts slipped from his grasp as his head rested on the pillow.

oOoOo

Darius leaned back in his chair, glancing over his hand of cards at the three other people that occupied the small table with him. While he seemed more laid back during their stay here, Heinkel kept an eye out the window at the street. It was dim outside now as streetlights came on slowly, lining the road. His attentive eyes went from the street to the pain in his arm as he adjusted himself in his chair. Who would have thought that he'd be so concerned about the alchemist laying in the other room. That brat was the one who gave him this wound in the first place, but at least he hadn't left him to die. The two Chimeras revealed their hands as did the bald doctor. A cackle from across the table got all their attention as the old lady laid her cards down.

"Eat that, suckers." She pulled the small amount of chips on the table towards her. Darius let out a huff through his nose and crossed his arms.
"How does she keep winning?" The other doctor just brought his hands up and shrugged. A quiet sound echoed from the back room that caught Heinkel's ear.

"Sounds like the Fullmetal kids' awake again." The doctor nodded and headed back to confirm the Chimera's suspicions as Edward was trying to sit up but the searing pain in his side caused him to stop. He was cringing as he leaned heavily on his arms.

"Hahh..." His one arm buckled under his weight before the older man could get to him.

"Easy now, I'm comin. Hang on." The once white bandages were now seeping a deep crimson color. "What's the hurry anyway?" Ed was covered in a layer of sweat and was having a hard time remembering where he was. His eyes darted around, searching for Al or anyone that he recognized. Heinkel and Darius pushed past the curtain to see what was going on.

"Ah, it hurts..." Ed's complaint came out in a surprised tone as though he didn't expect his side to hurt this bad. The doctor was already moving for the thin plastic line connected to Edward's arm.

"Well you probably needed this awhile ago." He gently pushed the alchemist down on his back again. The light came on and was moved over him. Removing a needle from the inside of his jacket, he injected it into the IV. The intense throbbing ache in Ed's midsection started to ease some. He let out a sigh of relief and finally squinted through the dulling pain. Some movement near the door dragged his tired gaze over to see the two Chimeras. They had stayed with him? He found it hard to comprehend. His attention was brought back to the older man standing over him as he pressed down carefully on his injured side. The pain wasn't so bad now but it still hurt.

"Nnn...ahh." Ed grit his teeth and shook his head.

"Okay,... it's okay." The doctor removed his hands and called out for the other doctor. "Need some help in here! Get the new bandages!" There was some grumblings in response as the old woman came in with a tray. The doctor grabbed the scissors from the tray first and slipped them under the old bandages to cut them away. Ed shivered some from the feel of them against his chest. As the woman began taking the old wrappings away there was a gagging sound from the doorway that caught her attention. Darius placed his hand over his mouth as Heinkel turned away.

"We'll be out here." They moved back and closed the curtain.

"Hah, bunch of wimps," she commented as she discarded the old dressings and started to help clean the injured area. They turned Edward slowly on his side so they could get to the now healing gash on his back. This was miserable. He really was starting to feel helpless and without Al there to encourage him, it just brought him lower. Hopefully Alphonse was able to reach Scar and the others. If he hadn't, then this was all for nothing. Shivering again, he felt the doctor place a hand on his shoulder. It was as though he knew he was thinking about something that was causing him to be distressed.

"If you don't quite worrying about whatever's on your mind, you won't be able to heal properly. So just don't think about it and focus on getting better, okay?" Ed didn't have to look back at him but knew he was right. The woman jabbed the other doctor in the arm.

"Hey, stop being so sympathetic to the little girly boy." Edward could feel his adrenaline kick in as he glared in her direction.

"LITTLE... you're one to talk." She leveled him back with an equally annoyed look. She disregarded his accusation and went back to the point she was making.

"That's right, your hair makes you look like a girl." His anger sizzled into a confused look on his face. Before he could say anything back, he started laughing.

"None of that please. I've gotta try to wrap this tightly." The laughing made Ed's ribs ache. This was a first that anyone had ever made that comment about him and it was something he just didn't care about. "Stop teasing him. That's not helping." Once they managed to get him situated again, they went back out to continue their game of poker. After several more hands of the short woman doctor winning, Heinkel tossed his cards down. She grinned widely as she played with several chips in her hand.

"That's it for me." Darius stretched his arms over his head.

"You just gonna quit now."

"Lady, you're taking us for all we got. It's a good thing it's not real money." She was about to come back with something smart but paused as they all heard the sound of metal thudding on the floor in the back room, followed by a softer thud. The uneven footsteps made their way to the door and the owner of them pushed the curtain open. Edward headed to the table, grabbing another chair on the way. His other hand pulled the metal stand linked to his IV. The other four people in the room looked him over quizzically as he took a seat at the table.

"Sheesh kid, don't you believe in modesty?" Heinkel observed all Ed had on was a pair of over sized light blue pajama bottoms and a blanket draped around his shoulders.

"Trust me, this is modest for me. Deal with enough automail upgrades and you'll know what I'm talking about." His voice came out weakly as he scratched the side of his head. "Now, deal me in." The old doctor seemed uneasy about him already being out of bed.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay?" Ed waved his metal hand back and forth in disregard.

"I'm fine, besides..." he glanced over at the winner of the game so far, "someone's gotta beat the champ here."

"Come on, let the kid play. But I warn you, there's no alchemy in this." He nodded back. She grinned wickedly before shuffling the cards. "You're lucky it's not strip poker." Ed remained quiet and sober, most likely because of the pain killers.

"We'll just have to see how lucky I am." She started dealing out cards. After a couple of hands where the two shortest players started arguing about someone cheating, the other three decided it was best to call it a night. But at least despite the shouting match, the patient was feeling better which meant they would be able to move sooner then expected.

...To be continued in the Manga or Brotherhood.